


Beacon

by Auroradiation



Category: Frankenstein - Mary Shelley
Genre: Future AU, M/M, Space AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-01
Updated: 2020-08-01
Packaged: 2021-03-06 02:53:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 746
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25646113
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Auroradiation/pseuds/Auroradiation
Summary: The universe sends Robert a peculiar gift.
Relationships: Victor Frankenstein/Robert Walton
Comments: 3
Kudos: 5





	Beacon

**Author's Note:**

> Comments are appreciated:)

**Message I**

_To JEGS051-0081, Margaret Saville_

_Europa OR space station_

_Dec. 11th 37—_

_Pioneer Station, Ceylon Plains, 4.4 n 298.0 W, Enceladus*_

I have reached my first stop after weeks of sailing. Three hours ago, my ship landed near the Pioneer Station on Enceladus. I sent out a team of transportation droids into the station's engine room, where the droids should be able to collect the fuel my ship needed for the rest of its journey from here to Connla* Beacon and to Ariel on my way back. Once the fuel is loaded, I'll set off again.

The station on Enceladus was abandoned long before we were even born. The once prestigious colony is now a dead ruin without its inhabitants. From the cockpit windows, I can see Saturn's rings glistening in the still background of the universe, Lapetus* slowly skimming across the desolate Ceylon Plains, on which the abandoned station stands, covered in the dust of oblivion and solid particles erupted from the satellite's Antarctic Ice Volcano. Some falling meteorites stripped away parts of its outer structure, exposing the skeleton of the colonial ship upon which the early pioneers built this station, a relic from the age of expansion. The cold light coming from the sun reflects off the surface of this colossal decay, illuminating humanity's past glory.

The droids are sending me pictures of Pioneer Station’s interior. Its evacuation was very well organized. No one was careless in their departure. They tidied up all the rooms, shut down mechanical equipment that were too large to remove, sorted the contents in the storage room and even folded the bedclothes square. There’s no sight of haste. The station looks as if it has fallen into a long sleep and waits for people to come back and wake it from its dream.

Maybe one day they will, but neither of us will live long enough to witness that day. Several research departments on the Europa station have already been shut down. The birthing center reduces the number of newborns every year. Before long, the sole remaining function of our station will be delivering water resource to the terrestrial planets in inner rings.

When the first generation of Europa stepped out of their breeding pods, they would not have expected their successors to be pulled back by Earth's puny gravity in such a near future. What would they think if they saw the territory they conquered become so abandoned?

Had it not been for this particular mission, I would never have had the opportunity to go this close to the boundary of human exploration. According to the latest information, the two-hundred-year-old beacon is still in perfect function, collecting information from and sending out high-intensity positioning signals to the outer solar system. But it will never receive any replies again. Those ships are not coming back. When the beacon was installed on Asteroid 2915TZ two hundred years ago, it was a light that guided us through space. Now it's nothing but a mark of failure.

The quality of the Beacon itself is, of course, commendable, but it is now creating a problem for our involution plan. No one likes to flee with a tail dragging behind. It's a potential threat, whether the people who were to receive the signals are still alive or not. But I'll pull it out soon enough.

Dear sister, I suppose you were a little partial in satisfying your brother's appetite for exploring when you assigned me to this mission. I was thrilled as first, but now as I look out of the windows and see this huge, glittering corpse lying on the ice field, all my previous excitement recede into disappointment.

Humans are willingly burying themselves back to that piece of warm mud and I have no choice but to go down with them. All I'm doing is helping humanity imprison itself. I have no place among the stars, and leave no footsteps for posterity to follow.

The transportation droids have reached the engine room. I must monitor all operations from here on out. Once the ship is fueled up, I'll take off immediately. The next time I write to you will be after my hibernation. Dear Margaret, please let me read your letter as soon as I wake up.

_JEGS051-0082_

_Robert Walton_

*Enceladus: The sixth-largest moon of Saturn. It has all the elements necessary for life

* Connla: The Well of Wisdom in the Celtic mythology.

* Lapetus: The third-largest moon of Saturn


End file.
